A federal judge dealt a significant blow to Washington-based Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS), refusing to throw out an antitrust lawsuit brought by the real estate giant Compass. In the 23-page order filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Jamal N. Whitehead denied NWMLS’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, ruling that Compass at this early stage, had…

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As a cascade of “premarketing” partnerships and programs sweep through the industry, Compass International Holdings (CIH), Rocket and Redfin have sent out a letter asking MLSs to change their policies to support phased listing distribution and cease punishments on agents for “seller-directed marketing plans.” The letter, obtained by RISMedia, was seemingly shared with MLSs and…

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For Teresa Palacios Smith, inclusion is not a program—it is a practice. As chief inclusion and engagement officer at HomeServices of America, Palacios Smith has spent her career building bridges between the real estate industry and the diverse communities it serves. A Cornell-certified DEI expert, she leads initiatives that reach over 23,000 agents across more…

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The mad dash for premarket power is showing no signs of slowing, as mega-brokerage eXp announced that it is striking a listing partnership with Realtor.com®, Homes.com and ComeHome.com (HouseCanary’s portal in Google Search), just 24 hours after Zillow launched a similar partnership with five other big national companies. Starting next month, eXp agents will be…

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It was April of 2025 that portal behemoth Zillow announced its “listing access standards,” taking a hard stance against so-called “selective access” to listings. As some brokerages—most notably Compass—pushed for “private exclusive” marketing plans, Zillow argued that properties for sale should be listed everywhere. Just under a year later, the company has joined what has…

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For much of my career in real estate, I’ve been told—sometimes directly, sometimes subtly—that there are limits to what an MLS can be. Limits to how flexible it can be. Limits to how innovative it should be. Limits to how deeply it can integrate into a broker’s or agent’s broader business strategy. Those assumptions are…

The post Maximizing MLS Strategic Partnerships appeared first on RISMedia.

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A large housing bill, currently dubbed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, is moving through Congress, but the House and Senate versions are not quite the same package. The bill that passed the House was initially dubbed the Housing for the 21st Century Act, a competing version of the Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act.…

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Editor’s Note: The RISMedia series Legislative Round-Up looks at pending and passed federal and state-level legislation that impacts real estate professionals. Private listings a hot topic in state legislatures Private listings are currently one of the most contentious debates in the real estate industry, at the center of ongoing litigation between real estate giants Compass…

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Above, Howard “Hoby” Hanna Amid the broader—and increasingly complex—debate over private listings, one of the more independent-minded independent brokerages announced this week that it is launching its own private network as a “strategic initiative,” balancing the demand for so-called “seller choice” with MLS policies the company has previously criticized. HannaList, announced this week by Howard…

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REsides announced its third annual dividend payout, continuing distributions to shareholders under the company’s equity ownership MLS model.  The REsides board of directors declared an annual cash dividend of $2.00 per share for Class A and Class B shareholders and $1.00 per share for Class C shareholders. The payment marks the third dividend issued since…

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